Childhood Obesity: A Case Study

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Obesity is a chronic condition where an individual has an excess amount of body fat. Body fat is measured using the body mass index (BMI). Children with a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile of the same age and sex are considered overweight; whereas a child with a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for the same age and sex is considered obese. The leading causes of childhood obesity are living a sedentary lifestyle and consuming more calories than required for a healthy body weight. Other causes of obesity are hormonal imbalances and genetic factors. The health consequences of being obese as a child consist of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impaired glucose tolerance leading to insulin resistance …show more content…

In the United States (US), since 2003-2004 there has not been a significant decrease or increase in the percentage of obese children. These numbers are telling us that the rate of childhood obesity remains high. It is imperative to teach and guide our children at a young age regarding healthy eating habits and the necessity of physical activity on a daily basis, which can lead to a better quality of life in adulthood. The goals of the battle against childhood obesity are (1) to empower parents and children to change their lifestyles to prevent childhood obesity; (2) to increase awareness of childhood obesity and the risks associated with it; and (3) to promote adherence to primary prevention …show more content…

(2005) demonstrated that the end goal to stop the rate of obesity in childhood is the involvement of the Government. It is imperative that protective measures are set up and observed to guarantee that they are decreasing both the frequency and severity of youth weight gain. Childhood obesity should be checked periodically at both elementary and high schools levels. Examination completed by Hammod & Levine (2010), demonstrated that checking the weight of elementary school children was achievable, but that of high schools children was definitely not. It could be inferred that childhood obesity is a huge, expanding issue in the US, which will lead into older

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